Vacation Snap-shots
I was planning to take a few days off from posting to the site so I can get some other work done, then Jeremy at the immensely popular blog Antipixel went and put a link to my site on his top page. Now I have pressure to get more photos up there in case anyone coming from his site ever decides to come back... I can't be looking like a slacker now can I?
(My appologies to those with narrow-band connections. In the interest of saving my time, I have decided to post all the photos from the trip at once...)
To add to the pressure, the context of his post was based on a comment I had made at his site about how he made a cliche temple look cool, and that I try to stay away from those shots. Yet, the only photos I have on hand for the site are from this weekend's bike trip with Tomoe to Ogawamachi in Saitama. They're full of blossoms and temples, and other tourist-in-Japan snap-shots.
We had planned to ride all day saturday, camp near Chichibu, ride a bit Sunday and take the train back from Chichibu. Unfortunately we made a bad decision along the way, thinking that the road to the middle of Saitama looked just as nice (and less mountains to cross) so we went that way. By the end of the day we were already back into civilization, riding on dirty, busy roads through crowded neighborhoods. To top it off, it was getting cloudy, and the forecast called fro rain on Sunday, so we called it quits, packed up the bikes, and made it home in time for some midnight blossom viewing along the river by my apartment.
Moments after we arrived the station was swarmed by retired folk in full mountain climbing gear. In Japan, that includes a plaid flannel shirt, maybe a fisherman's type vest, a backpack, walking stick, boots, and a bird-watching book stuffed in the front shirt-pocket. Some people even wear those swiss-style yodeling pants.
*Now let's take a break for some nice cliche cherry blossom / temple shots*
We got on the road soon, and you soon realize that 9 out of 10 trees in Japan are cherry blossom trees. Anywhere you go, country village or city park, every tree is a cherry blossom tree. They put so much time and effort into only two weeks each year. It's really amazing.
Just as we came out of the golf-course (which you see a photo of at the top of this post) we realized we were no longer in Kansas, so we took a break to get some really great freshly made tea and shiso flavored tofu, and hopped on a train back home.
I was looking at the map the entire way home, and realized our folly. we are planning another trip back there for a whole weekend, but this time we will be taking another route which should turn out a little better. It may have to wait until after our upcoming Golden Week bike trip around Shikoku (if Tomoe can get off of work).